"WASHINGTON — Driving across the flatlands of Illinois with Barack Obama during the Senate race of 2004, Kevin Thompson sometimes found himself tutoring the candidate on gay rights.

The latest on President Obama, the new Congress and other news from Washington and around the nation. Mr. Thompson, then a traveling aide, recalls long conversations about topics like the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion that sparked the gay rights movement, gay adoption — Mr. Obama once volunteered that Mr. Thompson and his partner would make “great parents,” Mr. Thompson recalled — and same-sex marriage, which Mr. Obama has in the past opposed.

Mr. Thompson, an Obama supporter, is skeptical about that. “To this day,” he said, “I don’t think Barack Obama has any issue with two people of the same gender getting married.”

Now President Obama says his views on same-sex marriage are “evolving,” and as he runs for re-election he is seeking support from gay donors who want to know where he stands.

This week, he will headline a $1,250-a-plate “Gala with the Gay Community” in Manhattan, his first such event as president; on June 29, he will host a Gay Pride reception at the White House. He is doing so at time when the New York Legislature is considering whether to make same-sex marriage legal — a vote that the president will no doubt be asked about while in New York.

The White House would not comment on whether Mr. Obama was ready to endorse same-sex marriage. But one Democratic strategist close to the White House, speaking only on the condition of anonymity, said some senior advisers “are looking at the tactics of how this might be done if the president chose to do it.”

And Representative Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat who is gay, said in an interview that a top adviser to Mr. Obama, whom he would not name, asked him this year, “What would be the effect if he came out for same-sex marriage?”

“My own view is that I look at President Obama’s record, he was probably inclined to think that same-sex marriage was legitimate, but as a candidate for president in 2008 that would have been an unwise thing to say,” Mr. Frank said."

they still don't have that one vote to keep their carriage from turning to a pumpkin

and that's even with a lot of fairy dust

bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!

"MINNEAPOLIS — A documentary portraying mainstream Republican leaders as villains and Sarah Palin as an inspirational heroine for the Tea Party received an enthusiastic reception from grass-roots conservatives at the film’s first public screening here on Friday night.

“The Undefeated,” an unapologetically partisan documentary meant to advocate for Ms. Palin’s potential candidacy for president, makes the case that she was the original Tea Party inspiration. It will make its premiere in Iowa in a couple of weeks but was shown to several hundred activists attending Right Online, a convention of conservative bloggers.

The two-hour film does not spare usual conservative targets like the news media and the Democratic party. But it is establishment Republican leaders — portrayed as toothless bystanders while Ms. Palin was attacked during her vice-presidential run in 2008 — who receive special scorn.

Ms. Palin represents “an existential threat” to them, Andrew Breitbart, the flame-throwing conservative blogger, says in the documentary, and he goes on to compare the party’s establishment to “eunuchs.”

The film would seem to have the potential to fire up support for candidates with Tea Party bonafides for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. They include Representative Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota; Governor Rick Perry of Texas, who is considering a run; and, of course, Ms. Palin herself if she decides to jump in."

he probably couldn't find any pictures of them standing under a rainbow

memba how the NY gay "marriage" was a lock to pass last Friday?

"NEW YORK (Reuters) - Supporters and opponents of gay marriage made 11th-hour appeals on Sunday as state lawmakers weighed a vote on making New York the sixth state -- and the most populous -- to legalize same-sex marriage.

The measure that would make gay marriage legal, introduced by Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat and strong advocate, is currently one vote shy of passage in the state Senate.

The state Assembly approved the bill by a wide margin last week, and Monday is the last day of the legislative session before summer recess.

New York's Archbishop, Timothy Dolan, reiterated his and the Catholic Church's opposition to gay marriage on Sunday, vowing to oppose "any radical bill to redefine the very essence of marriage."

"One has to wonder why the proponents of this radical redefinition, who claim overwhelming popular support, would not consider" a referendum "on such a drastic departure from traditional values?" he wrote on his blog."

WASHINGTON -- Andrew Breitbart says he is "not a fan" of Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) for the same reason he doesn't like ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner: Both led sleazy secret lives that could have compromised the public trust.

Speaking freely with a wine glass in hand, the conservative online publisher whose work helped bring down Weiner told a Netroots Nation activist over the weekend that the problem is that such men are vulnerable to extortion.

Weiner sent lewd photos to women over Twitter, then lied about it. Vitter admitted in 2007 he was on the client list of a D.C. madam.

"I tend to think all these guys who behave this way put themselves in a position to be blackmailed," said Breitbart in a phone video recording of his chat.

He also mentioned former Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), ex-Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) and former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) as politicians who could have been extorted.

Ensign admitted to an affair with an aide and quit amid an FBI probe into whether her husband was steered work to help cover it up. Sanford was censured after he was caught flying to South America to cheat on his wife. Foley quit after sending suggestive emails to congressional pages.

"I'm not a fan [of Vitter],” Breitbart said. "I'm not a fan of Ensign. I'm not a fan of Mark Sanford. I'm not a fan of Mark Foley. The guys who put themselves in these positions -- if they're Republicans or they're Democrats -- I don't like them."

But unlike Weiner, Ensign, Foley and Sanford, Vitter remains in his position of authority, although some conservatives are calling for him to quit in the wake of the Weiner resignation, which takes effect at midnight, June 21.

"I don't like Republicans or Democrats that behave this way with the public trust, including Vitter," Breitbart added.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – Old-time, backroom politics faced down hundreds of chanting protesters from each side of the highly charged gay marriage debate in New York on Monday as the issue stalled again over whether religious groups could be protected from discrimination charges under a same-sex marriage law.

And Albany's notoriously entrenched politics won.

After a three-hour conference behind closed doors, while groups from each side waited in a stifling hot hallway, Senate Republicans emerged without comment. A vote within the conference to even move the bill to the floor for final legislative approval was pushed to at least Tuesday as private negotiations continue between Republican Senate leader Dean Skelos and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who made same-sex marriage a major initiative.

New York's vote is pivotal in the national question over same-sex marriage, an effort that largely stalled in the same room two years ago when the Senate voted it down. Since then, efforts have failed in New Jersey, Rhode Island and Maryland. Advocates hope a "yes" vote in the nation's third-most populous state will save the effort.

Skelos worries a federal judge could strike down flimsy religious protections in the current proposal if a religious group, such as the Knights of Columbus, is sued for discrimination for refusing to provide its hall for a gay wedding. Skelos wants protections that will allow a religious group to observe its principles without conflicting with a gay marriage law.

"I think that's critically important," Skelos said.

Same-sex marriage has entered the uncertainty of the final days of the session in Albany, where horse trading over unrelated issues brokered in private is the norm, and where measures can be weakened or dropped, followed by a fast exit. In this case, gay marriage is now tied to resuming and possibly strengthening the New York City rent control law sought by Democrats and a proposed cap on property taxes statewide, pushed by Cuomo and Republicans.

It was a disappointment for advocates of gay marriage, most of whom had expected a victory a week ago.

The day's uncommon, but peaceful demonstrations Monday included a group saying the Rosary in the nearby Capitol park. Inside the building's marble halls, opponents chanted "God says no!" They sang hymns such as "Victory is Mine" and songs like "God Bless America" and "This Little Light of Mine."

"If this passes, we will become Sodom and Gomorrah," said 80-year-old Ginny Winn, of Delmar in Albany County.

"It's against God, it's against the Holy Torah. It will have a terrible influence on children and it will destroy all humanity," said Rabbi Yoel Loeb of Brookyn.

Democratic Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., a Bronx minister who has led the opposition, said he's unsure how the Senate will vote. He said Cuomo is exerting unprecedented pressure to get Republicans to approve his bill.

State troopers were called to the Senate chamber floor as the two groups started to merge and talk with each other, but there was no escalation in the jammed hallways that turned stifling hot from the number of people and TV cameras. Most were respectful and kept to their own groups.

Some religious leaders also worry about the discrimination question.

"We certainly have no hatred for anyone who follows this lifestyle," said Pastor William Mayhew of Faith Bible Chapel in Millerton. "The difference is we will be forced in our churches, in our businesses, all of our life practices, to acknowledge something which we strongly, morally disagree."

Former New York Giants player David Tyree said in Albany on Monday that God may have given him the ability to make his stunning, one-handed catch to help the Giants win the Super Bowl in 2007 so he would have a platform to oppose gay marriage today.

"I am not a political person, but gay marriage isn't a political issue," he said. "This not about right and left, but about right and wrong."

The Assembly has already passed the measure. Negotiations are expected to continue Tuesday.

"Anonymous" Troll:Why do you insist on quoting, word for word, articles from the newspapers? (and you don't even have the ethical responsibility of citing your sources) Of course we all know that there just isn't enough space for your stupendous ego to vent itself on your own blog.

This is not a blog site for your personal use. Trying to impress and influence us here doesn't work because we all know what you are.

remember that Obamacare that the American people made clear they weren't in favor of?

remember how they had to ram it through without proper review because Scott Brown had been elected and time was short?

here's what happens when Dems are in control:

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's health care law would let several million middle-class people get nearly free insurance meant for the poor, a twist government number crunchers say they discovered only after the complex bill was signed.

A married couple who filed for Social Security early could have an annual income of about $64,000 and still get Medicaid, said officials who make long-range cost estimates for the Health and Human Services department.

Up to 3 million people could qualify for Medicaid in 2014 as a result of the anomaly. That's because, in a major change from today, most of their Social Security benefits would no longer be counted as income for determining eligibility.

Medicare chief actuary Richard Foster says the situation keeps him up at night.

Remember the doughnut hole the GOP left in their unfunded Medicare prescription plan?

Remember the surplus that was depleted in less than two years?

Remember how some said "the US economy is strong!" right before the bottom dropped out?

Remember all those poor people left to die in New Orleans with that "heck of a" FEMA response to Hurricane Katrina?

Remember the lies about Saddam and WMD and Niger and yellow cake that led us to start a needless war that became the most expensive GOP nation building project ever?

Remember the soldiers sent to fight in Iraq despite the "lack of armored vehicles, field radios, night vision goggles, and even ammunition - especially for the National Guard and reserve units that now make up more than 40 percent of U.S. troops" in 2004?

Remember when the Attorney General of the United States said the provisions of the Geneva convention were "quaint" and that the simulated drowning of prisoners is not torture?

Remember the presidential order Bush signed in 2002 that authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on US citizens without required court-approved warrants?

"WASHINGTON -- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is expected to sign a budget bill on Tuesday that eliminates state and federal funding from the state's Planned Parenthood health centers, making Wisconsin the fourth state to defund the family planning provider after Indiana, Kansas and North Carolina did so earlier this year.

The new state budget also cuts BadgerCare, the state's Medicaid-funded family planning program.

A Planned Parenthood spokesperson said Wisconsin has never seen an administration more fundamentally opposed to family planning and birth control. Walker was the first gubernatorial candidate to seek and win the official endorsement of Pro-Life Wisconsin -- a group that considers birth control a form of abortion and opposes sex education for teenagers.

Numerous state lawmakers have expressed their disdain for Planned Parenthood.

"There's a very ugly side to this organization," said state Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) during negotiations on the budget.

"The way the language [of the bill] is written, we also can't partner with the state lab that reads the tests and was part of our cancer screening process," said Tanya Atkinson, executive director of Planned Parenthood Wisconsin. "So by targeting birth control, they are really putting women's lives at risk."

The cuts to family planning are ostensibly part of a broader effort by Walker and state lawmakers to save money and repair the state's budget."

The basic case against pursuing austerity -- i.e. big government spending cuts -- when economic growth is sluggish or in danger of slipping into recession is simple: a dose of harsh medicine risks making the patient even worse off.

There are two dangers. The first is that a government which cuts spending too soon sucks demand out an economy that isn't replaced by private market forces. So economic growth slows even faster. The second, related worry, is that a slowing economy results in higher social welfare payments -- more unemployment benefit checks, etc -- which requires the government to borrow more money. Since the point of austerity, theoretically, is to reduce government debt, it should be easy to see why it just isn't optimal policy to strangle the economy if the goal is to make into the black.

Some fresh economic data fresh from the United Kingdom, where austerity policies have been in place for several quarters, amply illustrates the point.

From the LabourList blog via RortyBomb.

...[G]overnment borrowing in the first two months of this financial year has been higher than in the previous financial year.... Government borrowing in April and May 2011 has been 27.4bn pounds, against 25.9bn poundsin the same two months of 2010 - an increase of 1.5bn pounds. Perhaps the most interesting figure though comes not in the headline borrowing but in the underlying data. Central government spending on "net social benefits" rose by 1.9bn pounds in April & May 2011 compared to 2010 -- in other words the overshoot in borrowing is being caused by a rising welfare bill...

Recessions are bad for government finances. For that reason alone, governments should avoid causing recessions. A long-term plan to balance the budget is a fine, upstanding idea. But rash spending cuts in the short term will make achieving that balanced budget goal harder. Just ask the U.K.

The new budget eliminates $1 million a year in funding for nine of Wisconsin's 25 Planned Parenthood clinics, which provide low-cost preventative health care to over 12,000 uninsured women in small communities like Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Eau Claire and Kenosha. None of the Planned Parenthood clinics that receive public funds provide abortions.

The budget could also block Planned Parenthood's ability to provide cancer screenings.

The cuts to family planning are ostensibly part of a broader effort by Walker and state lawmakers to save money and repair the state's budget, but Planned Parenthood and BadgerCare advocates argue that family planning programs actually save the state money. The Wisconsin Department of Health estimates that BadgerCare Family Planning Program prevented an estimated 11,064 unplanned pregnancies in 2008, saving the state about $139.1 million in expenditures that would have covered subsequent medical care.

"It's not about cutting corners, or 'everybody's gotta go on a diet,' or all the rhetoric they’ve been throwing around," Atkinson told HuffPost. "These are money-saving programs."

Atkinson said Planned Parenthood is now "looking at every option" to keep the nine defunded clinics open.

Remember when teachers, public employees, Planned Parenthood, NPR and PBS crashed the stock market, wiped out half of our 401Ks, took trillions in taxpayer funded bail outs, spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, gave themselves billions in bonuses, and paid no taxes?